Unlike its predecessors, Return to Monkey Island features multiple endings. There are five of them in total, with some having slight variations available depending on the dialog choices that players make during the game's closing moments. With the exception of the bad ending, they're all fairly similar, though fans of the series will no doubt want to check them out all the same.
The good news is that players can experience all of Return to Monkey Island's endings relatively easily, providing, that is, that they make manual saves at the beginning of Part 3 and after passing through the door behind the stone wheel puzzle near the end of Part 5. Of course, it's even easier to just check them out on YouTube or to read about them in this helpful guide.
How to Get the Secret Ending in Return to Monkey Island
For most players, the "Secret" ending, in which Guybrush finally gets his hands on the secret of Monkey Island, will likely be the one that they see first. To get this ending, they'll need to take the key from the animatronic locksmith and use it to open up the nearby chest.
Inside, Guybrush will find a t-shirt, after which, players can turn off the lights and leave with Elaine. Depending on how they respond to young Guybrush back in the present day, they'll then see one of five different post-credit scenes.
- The chest was filled with gems, rubies and gold! Young Guybrush will be shown playing around in a huge pile of gold and jewels.
- The secret was really the friends we made along the way. Guybrush will be shown in a small boat with several of the characters from Return to Monkey Island.
- Your mom was right, it's better not to know. The chest containing the secret will be buried in a hole in the ground.
- I wasn't making anything up, that was what really happened. A hand will slide three tickets over a counter, presumably for Guybrush, Elaine, and young Guybrush.
- There isn't any one answer to what the Secret is. Players will be treated to an Inception-style scene showing a banana balancing on a rock.
How to Get the No Secret Ending in Return to Monkey Island
Alternatively, players can grab the key from the animatronic locksmith but then have Guybrush leave with his wife Elaine before ever opening the chest. If players opt for this Lord of the Rings-inspired ending, Guybrush will be shown throwing the key into a pool of lava after the end credits.
How to Get the No Key Ending in Return to Monkey Island
If players decide to leave without getting the key or the secret, the post-credit scene will instead show Chuckie chasing his friend Dee around the area from the game's Prelude, the latter of whom will be holding the key to the secret.
How to Get the Never-Ending Ending in Return to Monkey Island
Rather than leaving with Elaine, players can instead use Stan's keys to return through the door in which they came and backtrack through the caverns until the game just suddenly ends. Depending on whether players got the key or the secret before doing so, the post-credit scene will again be different. Backtracking through the caverns will also unlock the I Don't Believe achievement.
- Guybrush left before picking up the key. Guybrush and Elaine will be shown sailing around the Caribbean on a large ship.
- Guybrush took the key but didn't get the secret. LeChuck and Lila will be shown fighting over the locked chest.
- Guybrush unlocked the chest and took the secret. The Voodoo Lady will return from a long lunch to find her voodoo shop completely ruined.
How to Get the Darkest Timeline Ending in Return to Monkey Island
Guybrush is renowned for being able to hold his breath for a long time, but, at the end of the day, he's still only human. If players allow the timer to tick down to zero while he's underwater, the game will cut back to Guybrush and his son, with the former revealing that he still had a bit of breath left.
Players will then be returned to wherever they were last, only this time with six minutes on the clock instead of eight. The same thing will happen again if players let the timer zero out a second time, though with the countdown timer now only having four minutes on it upon their return.
If players allow the timer to countdown to zero for a third time, the game will once again cut back to the bench. This time, however, there will be nobody sitting on it, and, after a few short moments, a somewhat depressing message will slowly begin to appear on-screen.
Many years ago on this very day, Guybrush Threepwood died from what authorities would later call an accidental drowning. He leaves behind his beloved wife, Elaine. They had no children. While he had many mighty adventures, the most important one of all went unfulfilled. The Secret has never been found.
At this point, players will unlock the Dead Dead Dead achievement and then be booted back to the main menu. Though it's possible to unlock this ending in any of the game's many underwater locations, the best place to do so is at the very beginning of Part 3.
Every time that players move between screens here, time will advance by two minutes, meaning that they can drain the timer in just a few moments by returning to the left immediately after changing screens to the right. Alternatively, leaving the game idle for eight, six, and then four minutes will also work just fine.
Return to Monkey Island is available now on PC and Nintendo Switch.